It's not hard to spin a positive stereotype as a compliment. But making any generalization about a group is a slippery slope.

(Image credit: Jamie Jones/Getty Images)

]]>Kumari DevarajanCan Marvel's New Superhero Bear The Weight Of Representation? 'Black Panther' new superhero epic has the biggest-ever budget of any Hollywood movie with a black cast, and is freighted with all the hopes and anxieties that come along with it.Fri, 16 Feb 2018 10:21:00 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/16/585415685/can-marvels-new-superhero-bear-the-weight-of-representation?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/16/585415685/can-marvels-new-superhero-bear-the-weight-of-representation?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

'Black Panther' new superhero epic has the biggest-ever budget of any Hollywood movie with a black cast, and is freighted with all the hopes and anxieties that come along with it.

(Image credit: Marvel/Disney/AP)

]]>Gene DembyAn American Marriage: Redefining The American Love StoryTayari Jones' new novel tells a story of love, race, justice and what happens when "normal" people come face-to-face with the unthinkable.Fri, 16 Feb 2018 10:00:00 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/16/585928927/an-american-marriage-redefining-the-american-love-story?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/16/585928927/an-american-marriage-redefining-the-american-love-story?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

Tayari Jones' new novel tells a story of love, race, justice and what happens when "normal" people come face-to-face with the unthinkable.

(Image credit: Algonquin Books)

]]>Karen Grigsby BatesIn One Of Chinatown's Oldest Landmarks, A New Generation Readies For Lunar New YearMei Lum put off grad school to take over a porcelain shop in New York City that's been in her family for five generations. But Lum wonders, how can she lay new roots without eroding what's there?Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:52:00 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/15/585403485/in-manhattan-chinatown-s-oldest-store-a-new-generation-puts-down-roots?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/15/585403485/in-manhattan-chinatown-s-oldest-store-a-new-generation-puts-down-roots?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

Mei Lum put off grad school to take over a porcelain shop in New York City that's been in her family for five generations. But Lum wonders, how can she lay new roots without eroding what's there?

(Image credit: Annie Ling for NPR)

]]>Kat ChowIn Search Of Black-On-Black LoveSearching for black love in all the wrong places? This week on Ask Code Switch, we bust the myths and unpack the stereotypes about black relationships.Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:18:19 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/14/584615868/in-search-of-black-on-black-love?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/14/584615868/in-search-of-black-on-black-love?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

Searching for black love in all the wrong places? This week on Ask Code Switch, we bust the myths and unpack the stereotypes about black relationships.

Activist-artist Tanzila Ahmed's snarky cards challenge stereotypes about Muslim-Americans. "With humor, you're able to sneak into people's consciousness and get them to think differently," she says.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tanzila Ahmed)

]]>Mary Louise KellySo What Exactly Is 'Blood Quantum'?If you're Native American, this controversial term about your blood can affect your identity, your relationships and whether or not you can become a citizen of your tribe.Fri, 09 Feb 2018 06:00:24 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/09/583987261/so-what-exactly-is-blood-quantum?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/09/583987261/so-what-exactly-is-blood-quantum?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

If you're Native American, this controversial term about your blood can affect your identity, your relationships and whether or not you can become a citizen of your tribe.

(Image credit: Leigh Wells/Getty Images/Ikon Images)

]]>Kat ChowHow The Eagles Sneaked A Little Protest Into The Super BowlThe incarcerated Philly rapper Meek Mill wrote the Eagles rallying song and has become a poster child for what many see as a draconian probation system.Thu, 08 Feb 2018 06:00:00 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/08/584009177/how-the-eagles-sneaked-a-little-protest-into-the-super-bowl?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/08/584009177/how-the-eagles-sneaked-a-little-protest-into-the-super-bowl?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

The incarcerated Philly rapper Meek Mill wrote the Eagles rallying song and has become a poster child for what many see as a draconian probation system.

]]>Savannah MaherEven When Black Unemployment Is At Record Lows, It's Dangerously HighEven in the best economic times, black unemployment is nearly twice that of whites, and those racial disparities have calcified into a permanent, structural feature of the American economy.Sat, 03 Feb 2018 08:21:16 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/03/582936744/even-when-black-unemployment-is-at-record-lows-its-dangerously-high?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/03/582936744/even-when-black-unemployment-is-at-record-lows-its-dangerously-high?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

Even in the best economic times, black unemployment is nearly twice that of whites, and those racial disparities have calcified into a permanent, structural feature of the American economy.

We got more than 100 letters from our listeners about how y'all feel like fakes. Here are some of our favorites.

(Image credit: Kristen Uroda for NPR)

]]>Leah DonnellaProtesting Is Uncomfortable. Should It Be Easier?This week on Ask Code Switch, a question from a Florida high school student who wants to know how to fight against injustice without antagonizing his teachers.Wed, 17 Jan 2018 06:00:00 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/17/578298804/protesting-is-uncomfortable-should-it-be-easier?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/17/578298804/protesting-is-uncomfortable-should-it-be-easier?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

This week on Ask Code Switch, a question from a Florida high school student who wants to know how to fight against injustice without antagonizing his teachers.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

]]>Leah DonnellaWhat Stories Do You Want From Code Switch In 2018?New year, new stories. Let us know which topics, stories and notable people you want us to cover in the coming year.Wed, 17 Jan 2018 00:18:21 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/17/578388784/what-stories-do-you-want-from-code-switch-in-2018?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/17/578388784/what-stories-do-you-want-from-code-switch-in-2018?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

New year, new stories. Let us know which topics, stories and notable people you want us to cover in the coming year.

(Image credit: Chelsea Beck/NPR)

]]>Leah DonnellaMaking The Case That Discrimination Is Bad For Your HealthThe researcher who coined the term "weathering" talks with Gene Demby about health, hard data, and why it took so long for people to come around to the idea that discrimination hurts bodies.Sun, 14 Jan 2018 07:00:21 -0500https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/14/577664626/making-the-case-that-discrimination-is-bad-for-your-health?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/01/14/577664626/making-the-case-that-discrimination-is-bad-for-your-health?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=codeswitch

The researcher who coined the term "weathering" talks with Gene Demby about health, hard data, and why it took so long for people to come around to the idea that discrimination hurts bodies.